Plans submitted to build student housing at Chichester Uni

Developers want to pull down 'tired' apartments at the university's Bishop Otter campus

Author: Karen Dunn, Local Democracy ReporterPublished 6th Oct 2023

Plans to redevelop student housing at the University of Chichester have been submitted to the district council.

The application from Lichfields, on behalf of the university, seeks permission to replace ‘tired and low-density student housing’ at the Bishop Otter Campus, in Havenstoke Close.

If approved, the cluster of housing currently used by 40 students will be demolished and replaced with 349 student bedrooms in three/four-storey blocks, including more than a dozen which will be wheelchair accessible.

A ‘social hub’ including laundry facilities and storage space will also be built.

Bishop Otter campus layout

A design and access statement submitted with the application said: “The number of full-time undergraduate new entrant students is already forecast to exceed the supply of accommodation, with no forecasted ability to offer accommodation beyond first-year students.

“There is no other purpose-built student accommodation in Chichester or Bognor Regis.

“The university’s primary objective is to create new accommodation and to refurbish existing accommodation on both campuses in order to meet demand, but most importantly provide students with an affordable, high-quality living experience.”

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